


Just as Perfect

by ashisfriendly



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Multi, Threesome, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:30:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6308971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashisfriendly/pseuds/ashisfriendly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Ben’s body was steady behind her and Ann’s was soft in front and now Leslie got it, she understood how this worked, she relished in every movement of fingers and flicks of tongues and understood that this was what they were proposing. And she was just selfish enough, just that bit over the edge, for her to love it shamelessly.</i> || Campaign era, sometime after The Trial of Leslie Knope. !Threesome!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just as Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> An old fic I wrote in 2013 that I'm finally bringing over here, as always I thank Hana for all her help in all things. Prompted by Caity.

Ben’s third beer was gone and someone bought him a shot and he still felt the burn deep in his throat. Now the room was on a slight tilt and his body was full of dense clouds. The fluffy ones. Nimbus? Whatever the fluffy ones were called.

The bar was littered with rings of condensation and the fabric of his shirt, right above his elbow, was soaking up the ghost of someone’s glass. He concentrated on the feeling, the damp annoyance on his skin, as he watched her. 

Her, his girlfriend, city council candidate Leslie Knope. A woman he dumped only to find himself in a park, her cold nose pressed on his cheek, lips warming him with a kiss and a chance. A woman who was above and beyond anything he deserved, a woman that radiated sunshine and positive prowess in everything she did. He, a usually grumpy, puzzle loving accountant slash ex government employee was not worthy of her. However, he was hers and crazy enough, she was his. It was mutual, it was beautiful, it was perfect.

On the dance floor, she was laughing, her face glowing and bright. The blue, red, green, and yellow lights of The Bulge splashed across her face in a synchronization that played off her movements, the gloss of her eyes, and the curve of her lips in a way that made her irresistible. His eyes ate her up, his mind swallowing her until each image of her was neatly packed away inside him, wedged in his muscles, pulsing in his veins, ground into his bones. 

Leslie laughed again and he heard the cackle through the blast of the music and he felt his own smile push on the corners of his mouth. She reached out in front of her and pulled Ann into her. The two enveloped into a sloppy hug that included hip movements and desperate hands to keep balance. The familiar push in his gut made him stand straighter and pushed his back off the bar.

Ann slinked out of Leslie’s embrace, sliding her hand down Leslie’s arm, over her breast and down to the curve of her hip until her hands were gone from Leslie’s body. Leslie gasped and contorted her face into some kind of playful expression of sorrow and pulled her friend in again. This time Ann stayed, smiling and allowing their bodies to sway with awkward spirit and slipping hands. 

Ben could recall every place Ann was touching. Leslie’s tiny waist and her beautifully plumped hip. The slender bone of her shoulder, the delicate skin of her neck, the warmth of her back. He could also revisit every memory at the way Leslie looked at Ann. Her eyes traced Ann’s face with admiration and a note of play that she always gave him when she was feeling feisty but coy. Her white teeth poked out of her mouth to bite her lip as she concentrated on the beat of the song so she could sync her hips, the same intensely thoughtful bite that was reserved for when she was on top of him, riding in a rhythm that was so perfect she was afraid to slip out of it. The same doubtless admiration etched into her face for Ann that she also had for Ben. The same, but different. Another variation of something intimate that he shared with Leslie but that held something else for Ann, something he would never know.

Ann pushed Leslie away from her, her hand still grasping his girlfriend’s. Ann spun Leslie in a graceless turn and he finally let his eyes lift from Leslie and focus on Ann.

Ann was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. If he didn’t think so, Leslie would probably find out, give him a lie detector test and then put him through therapy until he realized the exquisite beauty that is Ann Perkins, best friend of Leslie Knope and talented nurse. But Ben knew something about Ann’s beauty that he wasn’t sure Leslie realized.

Ann was her most beautiful when she was with Leslie.

Ann’s tan fingers interlaced with Leslie’s. Ann’s eyes sparkled when Leslie gave her a compliment, and her cheeks rouged in a dark pink when Leslie’s compliments went overboard. Just like everyone she came in contact with, Ann strived to be a better person when she was with Leslie. Ann stood up straighter, Ann was warmer, Ann was more relaxed, as if Leslie’s mere presence could scoop out the late night shifts at the hospital and take away Ann’s troubles with love and fill her heart completely without a man. The transformation was in its own way gorgeous, but the sustainable feeling, the radiated shine that enveloped the space they occupied together, that was the true perfection. It was the thing he hoped people noticed about Ben and Leslie, but would settle for the display to come from Leslie and Ann, if only for Ben to enjoy the feeling and shout to the world, “This is it, this is what true love looks like.”

Ann dramatically bowed as the song came to a slow, but a new one readily picked up in the middle of her grand gesture. Leslie giggled and curtsied, a motion that made Ben’s knees weak. The women stumbled a little and he saw Leslie mouth something that looked like “one more” and Ann frantically nodded her head, a sloppy grin on her face. Ann put her hand on Leslie’s arm and shook her head as Leslie frantically yelled in her ear. He guessed it was something about who would pick up the tab, or who would be buying the next round, something about money. Eventually they came to some agreement and Leslie walked toward the restroom and Ann came toward him.

“Nice moves,” Ben yelled, saluting her with one finger.

Ann smiled, huge and bouncing with light. She shook her head with a self deprecating roll of her eyes that still held a playful hint of happiness. Ann dabbed at her forehead with her fingers, a small trickle of sweat forming at her hairline. Ben handed her a napkin and she thanked him.

“Leslie is a horrific dancer,” Ann said.

Ben snorted and looked at his feet. He shook his head and titled his eyes toward her. 

“It’s cute.”

Ann popped her hip and put down some money on the bar. “Yeah, it is.”

They held their gaze in a mutual admiration for the small, blond whirlwind. Two drinks clinked on the bar and they dropped their eyes, Ann to her drinks, and Ben back to his feet.

Ben thought about Leslie and Ann before. Not in a perverted porno situation way, but in a way that made him think they were together. Leslie’s life seemed to revolve around two things: helping the citizens of Pawnee and Ann Perkins. Leslie and Ann held hands sometimes, just lingering squeezes of support, but it was something that caught his eye. That’s when he first discovered what Leslie looked like when she truly admired someone, when she truly loved another, when her whole world could be opened up to a lot more than just Pawnee. The were the same things he caught as months went by and she spent time with him, and he caught a familiar glow or a sparkle in her eye that he had only seen reserved for another woman. He slipped in, becoming another bigger thing in her life.

How big could Leslie’s heart be? Pawnee filled it so completely but Ann dug into the muscle and found permanent home. How there was room for him, he would never know. How Ann made room for him in their precious circle, he would always wonder. But he was grateful, and nothing would break him from Leslie again. If that meant sharing her with Ann, it was well worth it.

He shared Leslie with Pawnee, its citizens, her work, waffles, but most importantly Ann. While the tinge of jealousy tightened his throat when he snuggled with Leslie on the couch, his attention on the screen, and hers on her phone while texting Ann, he gladly did it. Leslie kept her heart so full and her attention spread so far, but she dedicated herself so fully. Nothing outweighed the other, everything was important. That was what was inspiring and addicting about loving Leslie Knope: she lived so _deeply_.

Ann nudged Ben with her elbow. Ben looked over and Ann titled her chin to the dance floor. He found Leslie again.

She was dancing, her usual clumsy sway of her hips and flail of her arms. All alone, on the dance floor, as if she was the center of everyone’s universe, the whole club enveloped in the push of confidence and energy that poured out of her. He smiled and watched, mesmerized by the slip of her sleeve and the line of her collarbone, the flash of the top of her breasts, the mound of her ass, and the synch of her waist that begged for his hands. 

Ann giggled next to him. He looked at her. She was eating it all up, just as enthralled and transfixed as he was. She laughed a little more than him, her face switching from confusion and amusement and admiration with ease. Leslie must have looked at her because Ann put her thumbs up and hollered an appropriate encouragement through cupped hands. Ann’s fingers tangled near her neck as she watched, the amusement winning out and producing adorable chuckles. She sighed and leaned back on the bar again, her eyes lost on Leslie.

It was evident that the only other person in this world who not only loved Leslie as much as him, but also deserved her, was Ann. It was then Ben had the thought that he should really share Leslie. He should let Ann show Leslie how much she loves her, really let Ann run her fingers over Leslie’s body so Leslie could feel the electricity that Ben saw in her eyes, really let Ann’s kisses arch Leslie’s back so Ann could feel the effect, relish in the clenching of muscles and husky whispers.

Ben might be drunk, the room might be almost horizontal and his veins sloshed with warm alcohol, but he knew what he thought was true. Ann deserved this, Leslie deserved this, and Ben could have one more moment, one more, deep moment that showed him love was real, love that was bigger than just Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt. True love.

He gripped the edge of the bar and turned, grabbing Ann’s forearm to spin her toward him. Her eyes widened, just a little, the alcohol keeping her reactions slow. He leaned in close and swallowed.

“Do you want to come home with us tonight?”

//

Ann never saw Ben so intense.

Okay, no, that’s not true. She just hadn’t seen him so intense when talking to _her_. Ben looked intense when presented with spreadsheets or asking Leslie about documents or campaign strategizing or when he just even looked at Leslie when he thought no one was watching. But this stare, this one he was giving her, was not a ‘Ben talking to Ann’ look. 

Which is why she immediately thought the question wasn’t just a simple invitation for a fun sleepover.

Ann watched Ben’s face soften, his eyes lighten and the clench in his jaw disappear. His hold on her was also feather light, not the strong grip that he first clamped on to her arm. She decided this was a good time to blink and maybe try to form words.

“Uh.” She shook her head and a weary smile flashed onto her lips. “Are you crazy?”

Ben shook is head and his hand on her arm tightened again. 

“I’m not,” he said, “well, maybe I am. Whatever.” Ben closed his eyes and shook his head, as if it would get rid of the mess of slurred words. “Just, please, I’m inviting you.”

Ann narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t some sick man fantasy is it, because I swear--”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Ben slipped his hand down her arm and awkwardly grabbed her fingers. He squeezed. “I promise.”

Ann looked at her drink, the bar slipping in and out of focus. She tried to concentrate on the glass, already dripping with condensation. Looking at it helped her stay rooted to the ground, kept the air that was filling her from lifting her to the ceiling. She never imagined this moment, never thought of it as a possibility, but the idea of being with Leslie? Yeah, she thought about that before.

Leslie was warm. Like a positive light that put a glow on the entire world. If Leslie had this glow, which she most certainly did, there was one spotlight always directed on Ann. To Leslie, Ann was some undeniable beauty, a perfection of the human species inside and out. 

It was hard to live up to Leslie’s expectations, since not one person ever gave her that type of treatment her entire life. Ann, throughout her life, was a pretty average girl. She wore braces when she was a teenager, she got horrible haircuts, and walked around with a backpack that weighed a ton because she took way too many honors classes. Ann was an average child, an average teenager, an average college student, and an average adult. Her job was tiring and taxing but she was good at it. Her wardrobe was fun and wasn’t too flashy, and her makeup was always modest but clean.

But to Leslie, Ann was so much more. 

Leslie helped Ann realize a lot of things. Leslie helped Ann realize that she deserved more than what was given to her from Andy. That she was unmistakably beautiful (this one is still a struggle). That she should not be so hard and negative, that she should look at the world through the lens of ultimate possibilities like Leslie did. That life, no matter what, was pretty damn amazing. 

Each day with Leslie was like some new awakening. Either Ann learned something new about female power, or something new about how beautiful she really was, or something bigger like she deserved a new job with nice pay and an office. She could sit during the day and get paid for it and educate the city about nutrition and health. There was more to Ann than just fixing people, she could educate and advocate now. She wouldn’t know that if she didn’t go to a public forum four years ago and let Leslie scoop her up in the whirlwind of local politics.

That was why Ann loved Leslie. That was why she loved her madly, deeply, irrevocably. Because Leslie showed Ann things that Ann would never see. Ann couldn’t give enough back to Leslie for what she had done for her, but Ann could love her with every fiber of her being and pretend that was enough.

“It’s not a good idea.” Ann swallowed, trying to get her slurs under control. “You and Leslie are like soul mates and I’m--”

Ben nudged her and pointed toward the crowd, toward Leslie, as if he didn’t even hear her. Ann couldn’t remember if she was yelling or whispering, maybe he didn’t hear her.

Leslie was dancing with a group of men. One of them wore on a pair of red feathery wings and the other two were wearing mini top hats and they were all shirtless. They spun Leslie around until her footing was lost, but they were always there to catch her. Leslie giggled, her nose scrunched and face flushed. The winged gentleman lifted her and spun her once, sending her hair out in a beautiful blond circular wave. Ann felt her insides push and pull and familiar electricity run through her legs. 

The truth was, no matter how much it pained her, she wanted to kiss Leslie. She almost did it, many times.

There was the time at the Snakehole when they were both drunk because Ann just broke up with Mark and Leslie’s master plan was going down the drain. The way her eyes flashed in fury as she talked about the evil auditors and the way her smile faltered when she talked about all her wasted time made Ann want to kiss her and make her forget about everything and Ann wanted to stop feeling guilty for breaking Mark’s heart. Ann almost grabbed Leslie’s face in the bathroom while they were yelling, Ann fed up with Leslie’s wishy washy excuses about Ben and also heartbroken that she would lose her again to someone new. Not heartbroken, maybe just a crack, a small crack in the muscle that would heal eventually.

There were small moments, too. Over coffee, when watching American Idol or a documentary about Watergate, after they both tried jogging one week in the spring, and once when Leslie fell asleep on her shoulder. She woke up, so bright and ready for the day and it took everything for Ann not to just kiss her, grab her face and smash their mouths together just so Ann could feel Leslie’s force through her lips.

Ben was giving her a ticket, a free ride into something she only dreamed about. It made her fingers numb and her pulse push against her neck, the beat of the music and the beat of her heart battling in her ears. 

Ben. But Ben would be there. In all her fantasies, all her quick day dreamed thoughts, he was not there. In fact, her thoughts about Leslie had lifted since they got together, after things got so serious that Ann didn’t feel anything for Leslie but pure happiness. Not much really changed between them anyway, just Ben was sometimes there, too. But the way Leslie looked at her? The showering of compliments and push to be better? Those were still there.

Leslie waved at them and Ann couldn’t ignore the way both she and Ben tilted their heads and waved back. Maybe Ben wasn’t crazy, maybe this was okay.

No, he definitely was crazy, but Ann was also crazy.

Leslie spun around again and another man, with no frills and no shirt, joined her dorky conga line. Ann grabbed Ben’s hand, still up in a wave and turned him, slamming their hands on the bar.

“We need rules.”

Ben blinked slowly. He swayed from the force of Ann’s pull. She waited for him to acknowledge her, to come back to the present, into what was most definitely the most insane idea of a lifetime. He took his hand back from her and wiped it over his face, into his hair, leaving a messy clump of dark locks.

“Yes, rules,” he slurred.

Ann grabbed a napkin and put it in front of her. she reached behind Ben and grabbed her purse hanging from a hook under the bar. She rummaged for a pen but couldn’t find one. She huffed and slammed the bag on a stool. Oh, right.

“Leslie,” they both said.

Ann smiled, just the corners of her mouth lifting, and Ben flushed. He pulled out Leslie’s purse and a plethora of pens quickly.

“I wish we thought of this sooner,” Ben said as Ann began writing on the napkin. He coughed. “I mean, not that I’ve thought about this before, I just--I mean, I wish we could like put these rules in a binder for her.”

Ann dropped the pen on the bar, her smile growing. “Yeah, and we could draw a cute little picture of the three of us on the cover.”

Ben laughed. “Yeah, yeah, and we could put the rules in there and like a biography of each of us inside and our goals and aspirations for the night.”

Ann shook her head, her giggles spilling. “Leslie’s would be ‘better America while looking at Ben’s butt’.”

“No, probably ‘simultaneously brainstorm new mottos for Pawnee while marveling at Ann’s beauty’.” 

Ann gripped the pen in her hand and tilted her head, her stomach warming. 

“Aw, that’s... that’s really sweet, Ben.”

Ben shrugged. “It’s what she’d say.”

Ann smiled and turned back to the napkin, letting the beat pass. She rolled her shoulders and cleared her throat.

“Okay, rule number one.”

“Weshouldn’thavesex.”

“What?” Ann asked.

“We” - Ben gestured between Ann and himself -- “shouldn’t, you know.” He pumped his hips, his fists moving to a terrible rhythm.

“Oh God, no.” Ann grimaced and turned to the napkin, writing furiously. She really hoped Ben didn’t have sex like that or she seriously felt bad for Leslie. “I mean, no offense, just--”

“No sex.”

“No sex,” she agreed.

//

Everything was great.

Sure, Leslie may not be as far up in the polls as she would like to be, but right now, after five Leslie-tinis, she was feeling like she was at the top of the polls -- the party polls.

Leslie let one of her admirers twirl her again and then landed on her feet with a thud. Her dance partner walked away with another man, leaving Leslie to sway and stumble. But her blood felt warm and her organs felt fuzzy and the room was doing a delightful tilt that made dancing more difficult in a fun way. 

She put her arms out to steady herself and let her vision blur and focus while the lights played across the many patrons of The Bulge. Leslie smiled as people walked past her, as men gave her hugs and women smacked her on the back. It was such a warm and fantastic place, full of alcohol and so much great dancing that it was hard to stay away. Out in the real world, people didn’t like Leslie as much as Bobby Newport, but in here, she was the real star.

The song shifted and Leslie blinked, focusing her eyes. She turned in a circle and then came to a startling realization: she lost Ben and Ann. She hoped no one had kidnapped Ben, but his butt was so cute and his taut chest and little arms were so alluring, maybe someone got desperate enough to snatch him up in their arms. Or Ann. Ann is a fighter, she watched enough Lifetime movies to know how to attack a man (groin, jaw, get the DNA) but would it work if a very determined lesbian got her? Oh Ann, there was so much Leslie still needed to say, so many compliments she needed to tell her very best friend of ever. And weren’t she and Ben going to get married some day? Should Leslie have proposed? Would that have helped save his life and small body?

Leslie popped her hip and tilted her head, pushing out her bottom lip. There they were. Ann was busy writing on a napkin while Ben talked and talked. She imagined his amazing words, probably full of matter of fact language, stunning vocabulary, and percentages. Just the thought made her legs shake and a heat pulse in her stomach. His big hands were very stern in front of him, moving only slightly with his words. They were so big, his fingers long and his veins visible under his creamy skin. How was he so tiny and have such large, strong hands? Only the universe knew but Leslie didn’t care, all that she cared about was that those hands were hers and they fit perfectly in so many places. For example, on the back of her neck, fingers threaded in her hair, on the small of her waist, or the round of her hip, sliding up her thighs, curled inside of her. Really, the list could go on and she wasn’t even to the breakfast foods he made her with those hands. 

Ann turned to Ben, showing off her perfect profile. Leslie’s chest fluttered and her face softened as it often did in the light of Ann. A light above the bar was positioned perfectly above Ann, making her look angelic and beautiful. She looked that way without the bar lighting, but Leslie welcomed the world’s small gifts of partnered perfection. Really, the whole world was there to compliment Ann’s existence. Hospitals exist so Ann can be a nurse, sick people exist so Ann can resuscitate their failing hearts, and the sky was blue because it looked so gorgeous in contrast to her tan, American Dream skin color. 

Leslie got into politics to help people and cultivate the beauty of democracy. But, it was also to meet Ann. That’s how important Ann was, she was that important, very important, probably the most important person that has ever walked this Earth, well, besides Eleanor Roosevelt. No, Alice Paul. No, Janet Reno. Ann was somewhere among the greatest women of all time, and she was such a permanent person in Leslie’s heart, like a staple or stake that had fused into the organ and would never leave. A permanent, amazingly gorgeous bulge that would always be there, beating with each pump.

Ann and Ben. Ben and Ann. Her two favorite people. It was hard to blame luck on much of anything, since nothing Leslie worked for was so easily given, but having Ben and Ann in her life was pretty lucky. If she needed to repay the universe with the power of democracy and giving power to the people by representation, than she would do it. She could do that much.

Ben stuck out his hand to Ann and she grasped it. They shook hands and nodded. Ann smoothed out her shirt with a sigh and put a finger up to the bartender but Ben grabbed her hand again, shaking his head. Ben, so considerate, he must have known that Ann had an early shift at the hospital tomorrow. And he thought putting all three of their schedules in his phone calendar was stupid. Leslie sure showed him.

Then they both looked at her and their eyes, glossed and beautiful, widened. They didn’t even know she was watching, she really was very sneaky. Leslie bounced on her toes and waved, her smile spreading across her face. Ben waved with his tiny smirk that he reserved only for her and Ann smiled, her white teeth shining. Ann mumbled something to Ben and Ben nodded as Ann disappeared. Ben approached Leslie and her mind started to cloud. His waist looked especially slender this evening and his shoulders were so small. She hummed.

“Hello,” she growled.

Ben raised his eyebrows and pushed his hands over her waist, wrapping around her back.

“Hello.” He kissed her forehead. Leslie started swaying their bodies. “Are you ready to go?”

Leslie nodded against his chest but didn’t stop moving, her hips swaying against his. He was always a step or beat behind her and it was usually frustrating but right now it created the most beautiful friction. Her fingertips buzzed on his shoulders and the way his hands slid across her back made her blood boil.

“Let’s get you home,” Ben whispered.

Leslie bit her lip and nodded, letting Ben drag her to the door. They got their coats and walked through the parking lot to the awaiting line of cabs. Leslie gripped Ben’s hand and stiffened her muscles in protest. 

“Wait! I didn’t say goodbye to Ann.”

Ben pulled. “It’s okay.”

Leslie yanked his arm. It most certainly was not okay. She couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Ann, for thanking her for all her beauty and efforts. Leslie was Ann’s very best friend, not her just-ok-friend-who-doesn’t-say-goodbye.

“I have to say goodbye to Ann, Ben.”

Ben sighed and his head drooped, his eyes falling to the pavement. “She’s in a cab waiting for us.”

Leslie stood up straight, giving Ben’s arm some slack. “Oh.” 

They never usually split a cab. Ann’s house wasn’t on the way home. Plus the cab ride was usually spent making out and seeing how far their fingers would travel before one of them chickened out (Ben, Ben was the one who chickened out). Leslie loved Ann, and sharing a cab ride was economically sound and helpful to the environment maybe, but the cab ride home for Leslie and Ben was very important.

Sure enough, when Ben opened the cab door, there was Ann on the other side of the back seat. She gave Leslie a toothless smile and waved. Leslie slinked into the seat and buckled herself in before Ben sat on her other side. She leaned into Ann so Ben could get his seatbelt on and there was a lot of mumbling and apologies and the sound of rubbed leather.

“One of you can sit up front,” the driver said.

“No, no,” Ann and Ben said together.

The driver’s eyes scanned them in the rearview mirror but he soon started off. 

Leslie didn’t have a chance to think about the route the driver was taking or really why they were sharing a cab or really much of anything because as soon as the driver pulled out of the parking lot, Ben turned to her.

“Come here,” he whispered and captured her lips with his.

Ben was a sweet kisser but he also could be a hungry one. This time his lips were laced with pure desperation. As soon as a beat passed, a familiar pause of lips on lips, his mouth opened and his tongue filled her. She gasped and tried to play catch up. She was slower and sloppier in her drunken state but so was he, all hands and tongue and pressure. But it made her whole body flame and noises escaped from the back of her throat.

Leslie was very aware of Ben’s fingers in her hair and the push of his lips, but she was also very aware of Ann. Ann’s leg was pressed against hers and her hips were touching Leslie’s. She could feel breaths Ann took from the lift of her shoulders and expansion of her torso. Leslie’s was so dizzy and warm, snuggled between the bodies of the two people she loved the most.

But Ann, oh no, Ann.

Leslie pushed from Ben but he scooped her lips with his again. One last, softer kiss. He slid his nose against hers and when she looked into his eyes, she found them dark but warm, like the best brownies ever baked. Like Ben Wyatt with something more.

Her cheeks felt hot and her throat closed but she turned a little to Ann. 

“Sorry,” Leslie whispered.

Ann put her hands up and talked fast. “No, no, no it’s fine. This is all fine. This is very fine.”

“Ann,” Ben warned.

“I said it was fine.”

“You can say it,” Ben said.

“No, I’m okay.” Ann turned and looked clear across Leslie at Ben. “Really.”

Ben nodded and leaned back in his seat.

Something was charged between Ben and Ann. Something that made Leslie’s skin prickle and made the air thick. 

“Is everything--”

But the cab stopped before she finished, right in front of Leslie’s house. Well that’s not weird, Leslie and Ben could be dropped off first. Ben reached for his wallet but Ann put her hand up.

“I already gave him my card.” 

The driver handed Ann a receipt and she signed it, complete with the appropriate amount of tip. Oh, beautiful, considerate Ann.

Wait.

Ben nodded in appreciation and got out of the car and Leslie followed, still a little dumbfounded. When the cab pulled away, Leslie noticed that they were all standing on the sidewalk outside her house. The night air was a little cold and Ben already had his arm around Leslie’s shoulders, his thumb rubbing circles into the fabric of her coat. He started toward the door so Leslie followed, with Ann close behind.

They took off their coats and Leslie immediately took her shoes off, along with Ann. Leslie turned and tilted her head at Ann.

“Are you staying--”

“Alcohol,” Ann said, over Leslie’s head.

“Yes,” Ben agreed and walked into the kitchen, stepping over camping supplies and magazines.

“Now hold on, what exactly is going on--”

“Just take this.” 

Ann pushed something into Leslie’s hand. It just felt like paper or tissues. Leslie kept a long stare on Ann, who was fidgeting and looking anywhere but at Leslie, before she looked at her hands.

Smashed in her palm were napkins. She flattened the napkin out and saw three stick figures looking up at her. Each one had their arms up. Two were wearing skirts and one was much shorter than the other. To the side of the shorter stick figure was a man, easily spotted by his lack of skirt and added striped tie. In all caps above the trio, it read:

_TWO IF BY LAND, THREE IF BY BED_

Leslie looked up at Ann. “What is this?”

“It’s a binder. A napkin binder--we wanted to make you a binder.”

Ben came into the living room with a bottle of tequila and three shot glasses. His eyes widened and he looked between Ann and Leslie. 

“Maybe you should sit down,” Ann suggested.

“In the bedroom?” Ben asked.

Ann shot him a look and he shook his head.

“Or right here.”

Ann led Leslie to the couch and Leslie felt like a heavy cloud, floating but confused. She sat down and Ann almost joined her but then shot back up. Ben started pouring shots.

Leslie flipped open the napkin and read.

_~~We Want to Have~~ A Proposed Threesome_

_Leslie,_

_I am your best friend and I love you with all of my heart. This is so crazy and it is all Ben’s idea but he brought up some great points and the things he said to me that you would say to me were so sweet, and I love you so much and you deserve more love than either of us can give but we will try. Please just say no if you don’t want to do this, I don’t want to ruin anything we have or what you and Ben have. He loves you so much Leslie, he really does. And I do too._

_Love,  
Ann_

_Leslie,_

_I love you. To the ends of the Earth, from the endless sky to the depths of the ocean. I am not worthy of all you have done for me, and let me repay you by giving you the love you deserve. The love you deserve isn’t just from me, the love you deserve radiates off the sun and pushes up from the Earth. But I can’t give you those things, I can’t give you the moon or the rolling fields of wildflowers. I can give you my love and I can help give you the love from Ann, who not only loves you endlessly and with such fierce power, but will do anything to show you that love. You are amazing, you are my one and only, and I will do anything for you._

_Love,  
Ben_

_Leslie turned the “page.”_

_The Rules_

_1\. Ben and Ann will not have sex._  
2\. Their mouths will also stay off each other’s parts.  
3\. If anyone is uncomfortable at any time, the safety word is ‘Freedom’. If anyone says ‘Freedom’, everything stops without question.  
4\. Whatever Leslie says, goes.  
5\. If Leslie doesn’t want to do this, then we forget it was ever brought up.  
6\. Afterward, feelings can be discussed for ten minutes and then everything goes back to normal.  
7\. Tom and April can never know. 

Leslie reread the rules, reread the love letters left for her. She inhaled a few times before she actually exhaled, and with the escape of the air from her lungs, she laughed. A high pitched cackle, that went on and on until her eyes watered.

When she looked at Ann, she was standing farther away and her eyes were big, her chin down. Ben was holding his shot glass, very full and very still. He looked frozen, worried, anxious.

“Les...”

“Is this real?” Leslie held up the napkins, her stomach twisting in admiration and love while her lips pushed in a smile of confusion and disbelief.

Ben turned back to Ann, the liquid in his glass sloshing over the side, slipping over his fingers. Ann locked eyes with Ben and shrugged but Leslie felt it. This wasn’t a joke, this wasn’t some kind of drunk prank, this was real. The words they wrote were real. Ben’s felt right, his words flowery and his prose gaining fluff like it always did when he was drunk. Ann was rambling, a true sign of being drunk, but it was still heartfelt. Now Ann looked so worried, her eyebrows down and mouth slightly open. Could Leslie kiss Ann?

No, rephrase that. Could Leslie _finally_ kiss Ann?

“Oh,” Leslie said, “this is real.”

Ben turned back to Leslie, nodding. “Yes.”

Leslie held his stare until he blinked and gulped his shot. She looked past him to Ann. She nodded, slowly, her eyes falling to the floor. 

“This is stupid, I’m sorry Les,” Ann threw her arms out and they fell to her sides, the sound of her hands on her legs echoing in the awkward buzz of the room. 

Leslie didn’t think, there was no time, she felt like things were falling a part, that Ann was slipping away.

“No, no.” Leslie put out her hands, one slapped Ben in the arm on accident and the other was horizontal in the air toward Ann. “It’s not stupid.” 

Her mind was tipping and the room was twisting. Her blood was pumping so fast that she felt every pulse around several spots on her skin. Her muscles kept clenching, making her body tremble.

“It’s--” 

Leslie tried to think, tried to put together how she was feeling, how her mind was functioning, how this sounded like the scariest idea but also the best. How her love for them was inexplicable, how she was scared how this would effect things with Ben, how this would change things with Ann, how being with a woman would be, how Ben would react to her kissing Ann, touching Ann. She wondered if Ben would touch Ann and how that would make her feel, but the more she thought, the more she imagined, the hotter she became, the faster the uneasy, nervous warmth spread through her. Leslie swallowed.

“It’s a great idea.”

Her voice sounded so nervous, unsure, unlike the sexual purr she was hoping for. Leslie reached to the coffee table and took a full shot glass and downed it, her throat burning and eyes watering.

“Shall we?”

Leslie didn’t look at either of them while she stood up on wobbly legs. She swayed to the staircase and tripped over the fourth step. Leslie heard Ann and Ben following, their whispers giving them away before their footsteps. 

Her room was in its usual disarray, her perfect system that escalated in a mess. But her bed was made, it was made every morning. A bra was laying on the floor but she knew Ben had seen that one and Ann had seen so much of Leslie’s laundry that it didn’t matter. Did it matter now? Was Leslie wearing appropriate I’m-having-a-threesome-with-my-boyfriend-and-best-friend underwear?

Oh, God, she was having a threesome.

Leslie turned around as Ann shut the door. Ben’s eyes were watching her intently, soaking her in careful sways, like she could break any moment or like everything she did was a reason to call this whole thing off. 

_This was Ben’s idea_ , she reminded herself. She repeated it over and over, and kept it whispering through her mind as he kissed her.

His lips were soft and slow like he was tracing every ounce of love onto the pink of her mouth. His tongue slid between her lips, warm and beautiful in careful circles. 

She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, his circling her waist. His fingers dug into her back. Ben pulled from her and pushed the tip of his nose into hers, smiling until a small laugh pushed from his throat. 

“I love you,” he said. “You know that, right?”

She nodded, their heads moving together. “I love you and I like you.”

He kissed her quick and then stepped from her. Her eyes tried to focus but the room was moving. Ann came into view, behind Ben, slightly to his left, one of her lamps lighting her beautifully with a hazy glow. Leslie took a breath and looked between them.

Ben put his chin down, his eyes flicking up to Leslie’s.

“You should kiss her,” he whispered, husky and nervous.

Leslie looked at Ann, who was fidgeting with the ends of her hair. Leslie rolled her shoulders and tried to stop concentrating on the knot in her stomach. She shook her hands out, as if it would rid the nervous sensation sticking to her muscles. Ann cleared her throat and crossed the room, toward Leslie, her eyes dark and determined and her steps clumsy. Leslie inhaled and stiffened just as Ann’s lips touched hers.

Everything with Ann felt lighter, smaller. Her lips were tender and fruity and her hands were so tiny and slender. Leslie sighed against Ann’s lips and slowly relaxed into her body. Her tiny body. Ben was small, sure, and in some ways their waists were similar but there was a pleasant curve in Ann’s chest and a roundness to her hips that couldn’t compare. That Leslie couldn’t keep her hands off of.

It was a slow build, but Leslie’s hands, like with anyone else, were greedy. Gliding with curiosity and touch. Kissing Ann was slow, their lips shaking and nervous sighs and gasps flooding their tongues, pushing into mouths. It also felt natural with a reasonable even with an undercurrent of nerves. But it was exciting, it was lovely, it was bubbling of goosebumps and feathered surges of electricity.

Leslie stilled when she felt skin. She didn’t remember going for the hem of Ann’s shirt, or sliding her hand along the waistband of her pants, but there was no mistaking the evidence. Lips detached and Leslie looked down and there was her hand, flat on the tan skin of Ann’s, right above her hip, in the perfect inward slope of her waist. Leslie’s eyes clicked to Ann’s, wide with concern but dark. Her lips were a deep red, slick. 

“This isn’t weird,” Ann said nervously, her voice trembling and nose scrunching.

Leslie shook her head, but before she could reply, someone else did.

“No, it’s not.”

Ben. He seemed so far away, just a few steps from them. His hair was a mess somehow, much more in disarray than she remembered since kissing him. His bottom lip looked plump, swollen, as if he wasing chewing it. His chest rose, expanding and then contracting in deep, hard breaths. His skin was flushed and his eyes were unfocused like he was a child in front of a television screen. He shuffled from one foot to another while she looked at him, and he swallowed three times.

Leslie turned back to Ann and Ben looked to the ground. 

“It is, a little.” Leslie smiled, licking her lips, trying to bring back the taste of Ann. “But it’s okay.”

Ann laughed, a small breath of a laugh that was both uneasy and relieved. 

Leslie’s hand was still on Ann’s waist. She brought her other hand to Ann’s other side and gripped the fabric. Leslie wanted to pull Ann’s shirt off, that was clear, that was very clear. But someone else was there, someone she loved dearly and didn’t want to lose. 

Her eyes shifted to Ben and then back to her hands gripping Ann’s shirt. Would seeing Ann naked change things? Leslie imagined him seeing Ann naked and devouring every inch of her. Her smaller waist, her skinnier hips, her taller, slender legs, her brown skin. Her breasts were smaller but perkier and her ass was tighter and everything about this train of thought made Leslie feel like she was in middle school again, among the beautifully, newly shaped girls in the locker room.

Leslie fingers tightened on the shirt and her eyes flicked back to Ben but he wasn’t where she left him. She inhaled and fell into Ann, startled by the push from behind. Ben’s hands were so big and Ann was so close so Leslie just kissed her.

Ben’s hands were on her, on Leslie, and only Leslie. He swept up her sides, squeezed her hips, pushed around to her breasts. His nose moved her hair so to kiss her neck, her shoulders. Heat was trapped on her back along with the beat of his heart, the push and pull of his heaving chest. His hands, still sure and familiar, were trembling and the nerves helped her sink into him, sink into Ann, just be in this back and forth of love... being taken care of. 

That’s how Ann kissed, like she was taking care of Leslie, and it was how Ben breathed along her skin and sucked the tender flesh. It was overwhelming and made her feel relaxed and amazing.

Ben’s fingers slid under Leslie shirt and she arched her back, gasping into Ann’s mouth. Leslie’s chest pushed into Ann’s and her ass rolled onto Ben’s crotch. 

She was warm and tingling, Leslie’s whole body alive and relaxed all at once. Ben’s body was steady behind her and Ann’s was soft in front and now Leslie got it, she understood how this worked, she relished in every movement of fingers and flicks of tongues and understood that this was what they were proposing.

And she was just selfish enough, just that bit over the edge, for her to love it shamelessly.

Leslie couldn’t think about Ben’s wandering eyes because she suddenly wanted to feel Ann’s skin. Leslie pulled Ann’s shirt and before it could fall to the floor, Ben was already tugging on Leslie’s. Her arms shot up and Ben raked his fingertips up her arms and down again as the fabric fell. Leslie’s arms bent behind her head, her hands pushing into Ben’s hair, tugging him closer as Ann slid her tongue over Leslie’s collarbone. 

The three of them worked in spurts of fast forward. Ben quickly unclasped Leslie’s bra and Ann quickly tugged at Leslie’s pants. Leslie begged Ben to kiss her neck, give her hickies because they felt good and who cared, it was scarf weather. Ann’s bra had a lace trim that Leslie couldn’t stop smoothing her thumbs over and Ben’s hands were getting greedy and quick over the damp fabric of her underwear. Leslie pulled away from Ann’s lips, both women moaning at the separation. Leslie pushed her fingers through Ann’s hair.

“Oh, Ann,” Leslie sighed.

Leslie turned to Ben and started to undress him, missing the wiry hairs of his chest and the poking bones of his torso. In the rush, she removed all of his clothes, making him the most naked out of all of them. She smiled and grasped him easily, her fingers gentle and palm soft against him. He shook and his head fell to her shoulder, sharp breaths tickling her skin.

She heard clothes dropping behind her and Leslie snuck a quick glance over her shoulder. Ann was naked, or getting naked and God, it was like the sun didn’t even need to splash its rays on her skin, she was just tan and even throughout. She suddenly started to freak out again, hoping Ben wouldn’t notice how perfectly shaped she was, how her toes were even sexy and her collarbone stood out more than Leslie’s. Ben loved Leslie’s collarbone, he bit it and licked it and sucked it until his lips were sore. Would he like Ann’s more?

Ann moved, walking toward the bed. She didn’t look at them, didn’t even seem like she cared what they were up to.

Ben didn’t notice, or it didn’t feel like he did. He didn’t notice much of anything except Leslie. Her breasts palmed in his hands, her ass under his fingertips, his tongue everywhere. He pushed down Leslie’s underwear and now she was just as naked as he was. He pulled her to him, toes to lips and kissed her hard, his hands running down her back to her ass and up again like he was feeling her for the first time. 

That was the thing about Ben, he treated every time like it mattered, and this time he was amplified past ten.

He kissed each breast, his tongue sliding across skin, his lips sucking. He moved to her collarbone quickly and kissed it from shoulder to shoulder in quick, peppered kisses that were so sweet it made her blood turn to syrup. She smiled, big and goofy and her heart bounced in her chest. He nudged his nose to her jaw and whispered along her skin, her hair moving in front of his lips.

“Bed.”

Leslie looked to the bed and there was Ann. Drunk, flushed, feisty, nervous Ann. Also naked. She had seen Ann naked in the same way most girl friends have, in changing rooms or quickly switching clothes because one of them spilled maple double pump triple shot latte all over their very important speech giving outfit. But this was different.

Ann was like a beautiful tropical fish, splayed out in the ocean of Leslie’s bed, welcoming and sexy and it was very, very scary.

Ben’s hand slipped down Leslie’s back and grabbed her ass. A small squeeze that also felt encouraging, even if she imagined it. She looked up at him and his eyes were still locked on Leslie, devouring her and soaking her up like she was the last bit of sunshine before the apocalypse. 

The room was hot, a stuffiness that made breathing harder. But each breath felt full and it made her heart move quickly and her stomach turn. Leslie shifted to the bed and lowered her chin. Ann deserved Leslie’s attention, she deserved not to feel Leslie wince as she touched her, to not see panic as she looked at her breasts. Leslie kissed a girl in college, but it wasn’t much of a kiss as it was for male attention and peer acceptance, something Leslie lost herself in during her junior year. 

This was different in every way. This was Ann, her platonic, same sex soulmate slash best friend who Leslie would run to the ends of the Earth for and beat people up for, commit murder for, probably. It was true, Ann was just as beautiful unclothed and wanting as she was clothed and doing anything. Leslie loved her unconditionally and she needed to be steady, ready, and willing. Ann already took the biggest step, it was Leslie’s turn to take a leap.

Ben’s hand slipped from Leslie, but his mouth pushed under her hair, close to her ear.

“Sometimes,” he whispered, catching Leslie’s skin on fire, “no, always” - he shook his head, the stubble on his chin catching in her hair - “the world disappears when we’re like this, when it’s just me and you and nothing else.”

Leslie swallowed, Ben’s alcohol induced poetry always made her turn to jello. But she had to be drunk, too. When Ben did this when Leslie was designated driver, it just made her giggle and roll her eyes.

“This is the same,” he continued, “there’s only you. Always.”

“Shit,” Leslie breathed. She could probably stand to say something more poetic, something sweeter to match him, but thinking was hard, words were impossible.

He pushed on her back and Leslie took a step toward the bed and before her panic took over, she was taking another and another until her knees pushed into the mattress and she was crawling over the bedspread. Ann’s chest was rapidly moving up and down and Leslie’s first instinct was to touch her breasts.

And she could, right here in her bedroom with Ann and Ben, she could. 

She did. They were warm and soft and unlike her own in size and shape but still familiar. Ann inhaled sharply and Leslie pushed forward and kissed her. Kissing Ann was the best distraction and also the ideal fuel. Ann’s tongue made Leslie forget about her nerves, took away the anxiety and replaced it with pleasure. The vibration of moans and soft gasps along her tongue encouraged her to keep going, like nothing could go wrong and nothing was off the table.

It was like giving a speech on the beauty of park benches while watching C-SPAN.

Ben’s weight shifted the bed but the women didn’t stir, didn’t move. Leslie’s leg was still between Ann’s and her hand was still on the tan, soft flesh of her breast. Her lips moved and Ann’s tongue swept and Ben just kept moving, adjusting, the bed even squeaking. 

Leslie pulled from Ann, just enough so their lips still brushed a little and their noses rubbed against each other. Leslie turned her head to the bend in the mattress while Ann kissed Leslie’s neck and explored her breasts with her slender, soft fingers.

Ben was on his knees, his eyes locked on Leslie, his hand moving over his cock, just slow, lazy pumps that Leslie last touched him with. She saw his hand gripping himself a little tighter, but he was smooth and slow. Leslie never saw him do this, it was both startling and predictably hot. Very hot. He slowed when she turned to him and his hand fell to his thigh, his cheeks instantly rouging. Leslie touched herself before, during sex or when Ben was too damn slow and was just taking care of her breasts and collarbone. But this was different, everything about this was different. Leslie wasn’t sure there were enough times she could think that.

“It’s okay,” Leslie whispered. 

Ann’s lips stopped on Leslie’s neck and looked up at Leslie, to make sure everything was okay. Leslie groaned at the stillness. Leslie wasn’t sure if it was the groan or Ann’s misinterpretation of who the “It’s okay” was for but suddenly, Ann turned them, Leslie twisting to her back and Ann pushing Leslie’s legs open with her knees like Ann had previously won the gold medal in female seduction.

“Whoa,” Ann said, “sorry.”

This time it was for Ann. “It’s okay.”

Ann kissed over Leslie’s jaw, down her neck, across her collarbone (but she didn’t linger as long as Ben usually did), and to her breasts. Leslie arched her back, pushing her breasts into Ann’s mouth, loving the feel of her teeth on the skin, her warm tongue and swollen lips. Leslie’s hips rolled and the friction against Ann’s body was minimal, feather light, but it still made her gut pulse and her muscles jump.

Ben moved again, the weight of the bed shifting. Leslie turned her head to him, watched him touch himself. His eyes locked with hers and Leslie moaned at every turn of Ann’s tongue and every bite of Ben’s lip. She reached out a hand to him, wanting to touch his skin, feel him just as close as Ann was. Ben moved to her and Leslie rubbed her nails along his thigh, and teased the base of his dick. 

The curve of his back, the slowing of his hand, and the small pout of his lips let Leslie know he wanted to kiss her. But his eyes were deceiving him. He kept inching closer but stopping when he saw how close Ann was. She was close, her mouth working on Leslie’s breast and her hair tickled Leslie’s chest. If Ben leaned over and kissed her, they could graze skin or bump head to chin. But it was no reason for him to not kiss Leslie, he should very much be kissing her.

“Ben,” Leslie whispered. 

Ann’s tongue twisted and her lips pursed and Leslie’s back arched at the touch. Her arm shot toward him and grabbed his shoulder with a clumsy grip and pulled.

His hands dropped on either side of Leslie’s head to steady himself, but everything else about him was unbalanced and greedy. The stubble on his jaw was welcome and rough and if her tongue slipped from his mouth, it didn’t matter, the prickle of his cheeks and chin were electric. Her fingers threaded through his hair and she pushed him closer, as if it were possible. She was lost in his lips and warmed by Ann’s tongue. Leslie reached for him, grasped his dick in her hand and varied the pressure in her fingers as she stroked him. It was a weird angle, a little uncomfortable for her forearm but worth the moans that shook from his mouth and the way his kisses became clumsier, like the kissing equivalent of stuttering. 

Everything was connected. Her heart beat became rapid because of Ann and her skin was hot from Ben. Ann hummed on her skin and Ben shook from Leslie’s fingers and it was like an endless circle of breaths and lightening. 

Ben kept saying things against her lips, mumbling ‘good Lord’s and her name like he had an infinite amount of shaky words to give. Leslie ate them up, swept them up with her tongue and swallowed them like candy. 

Leslie’s breasts were cold and slick as Ann’s mouth moved, down her stomach, over each hip. Leslie almost cried out for her to come back, to put her soft mouth back on her chest, but something stopped her. Ben, more specifically Ben’s hands. He took over where Ann left off in a slow trade that was worth the wait. He lined her collarbone with his thumb and his pinky and ring fingers brushed the top of her breasts, making her spine crumble. His hands gained pressure, his fingers rough and circling, as Ann kept moving down, farther down. 

Ann’s hands were busy on Leslie’s thighs. Her lips were shy, soft and concentrative. Ann would kiss Leslie’s hip and then pause above her before deciding to kiss Leslie’s stomach, right below her belly button. Her tongue hadn’t touched her skin. It was all very coy, very indecisive and scared. A few minutes went by while Leslie thought about Ben’s tongue and also waited for Ann to shout ‘freedom’ until it vibrated off the walls.

Leslie felt Ann’s fingers first. Her mouth was gone now, just Ann’s fingers on the inside of her thigh as she maneuvered farther down. Leslie couldn’t help her hips from bucking, from moaning into Ben’s mouth to encourage Ann who probably couldn’t hear her. She hoped she wasn’t pressuring Ann, but her fingers felt good and Ben’s hands were doing that thing where his palm put this light pressure on her breast and his fingers rubbed her nipples and it was hard to even think about anything but wanting Ann’s mouth on her.

Oh, crap on a starfish. She wanted Ann’s mouth on her.

Should she say that? Does Ann like dirty talk or being bossed around in bed? Leslie tried to remember their previous discussions on sex, she remembered that Ann said Chris was the best she ever had, and her loss of virginity story was almost as terrifying as Leslie’s. But specifics were hazy, especially now. She should just chance it. This was already the most insane thing all three of them had done, what was one small request for sexual pleasure between friends? Friends who were already naked and touching and panting.

“Ann,” Leslie breathed. Ben’s tongue kept circling and Leslie tried to push out the fog and be stronger. “Ann.” Louder.

Ben slowed and then lifted his face from her. Leslie pushed up on her elbows and looked down at Ann. She tried not to think about how Ben was also looking down at Ann.

Ann’s eyes flicked up to Leslie, curious and worried like she did something wrong. She started to move and Leslie hurried, pushing her words out quickly.

“Have you done this before?”

Ann gave Leslie a little grin, a small giggle escaping from her throat. Nerves. 

“No,” Ann said, shaking her head, “I haven’t.”

“Do... do you want to?” Leslie asked.

Ben was watching them like a tennis match. Leslie saw his head nod, like he was answering the question in his mind.

Ann looked between Leslie and Ben. The longer they were still, the more sobering this was beginning to feel and panic was rising in Leslie’s stomach. Ann finally nodded and everyone let out a breath.

Ann’s tongue was warm.

In the haze, Leslie heard Ben groan. He bent down and licked his way across her collarbone, his hands spread over her stomach, circling and clawing her skin as his mouth descended onto her breasts. He followed her if her back ached and if she twisted herself to moan into a pillow because his mouth was occupied. She felt his teeth graze her nipple as he smiled.

Ann was slow, almost painfully slow. But she was there, between her legs. Ann may be uncomfortable or scared and Leslie respected that, but her hips couldn’t stop shaking and her back couldn’t stop it’s arch every time Ann’s tongue was so close to slipping deeper. 

Leslie moaned, Ann’s name sliding out of her mouth in high pitched frustration. A tone Ben was probably very used to (seriously, how could someone be so slow?), but might be a bit of a mistake with Ann. Leslie’s breathing stopped and all she felt was her heart and hear Ben’s lips on her chest.

Ann groaned, vibrating Leslie from her core up to her eyes and Ann pushed her face into Leslie. 

Ben’s teeth raked against Leslie’s skin, traveling up her chest to her neck. His hand moved back to her breast and Leslie wiggled, her body reacting from two sources of touch, two mouths. Her back muscles were already sore and her thighs trembled but she couldn’t stay still. In the past, she got fingertip bruises from Ben trying to keep her hips still while he went down on her and he held her hair gently as a reminder to stop moving when he fingered her. 

Ben’s tongue lined her ear lobe.

“Do you really never watch?” he whispered.

Leslie blinked her eyes open and rolled her face toward him. Ann obviously didn’t hear anything, because she kept moving, her tongue still warm and her lips slick. Leslie arched her back and gasped, focusing on Ben. He grinned. Her eyes fluttered closed.

“No, watch,” he said.

He moved from her and pushed her pillows under her head. Ann slowed but never moved from Leslie. Ben pushed Leslie back on the stack of pillows and Leslie’s eyes immediately fell closed again, clenching at the circles Ann created on her clit.

“Open.” 

Leslie did like to see what Ben was doing to her, but, God, everything felt so good it was hard to keep her eyes open. It was hard for her to concentrate, it was hard for her to tell her body to do anything but feel. Leslie groaned, in frustration and happiness at the feeling of Ben’s hands back on her skin.

She pushed her eyes open and gasped. Ann’s eyes were closed, her brows furrowed, just a little, like when she contemplated a compliment Leslie gave her or was thinking about the many ways things like “leaning tower of waffles” could go wrong. Her head bobbed, her dark hair moving along Leslie’s pale thighs. Leslie could feel Ben’s eyes on her, watching her reaction to this. Maybe Ben was always hoping she looked at him while he worked. She would from now on.

Leslie pushed a little off the pillows to get a better look and Ben moved his hand back to her breast. She shuddered a little, her senses going haywire. Leslie’s eyes trailed down her own body, past Ben’s large hand and her pale tummy, until she stopped between her legs at Ann. Ann, her cheeks red and nose bumping Leslie. Leslie moaned and Ann’s eyes flicked up to her just as Leslie caught a glimpse of Ann’s tongue before it disappeared again.

Fuck.

Leslie fell back on the pillows and groaned, loud and from the pit of her stomach. Ben’s hand squeezed and Ann’s tongue filled her with quick flicks. Leslie gripped Ben’s hair and her own thigh, Ann’s hair tickling her fingers. Ben kept breathing into her neck and Ann’s moans made Leslie’s muscles twitch. She tried to stay still, to give Ann the power, but it was so hard, so hard to lay back and let them control this, work together flawlessly for her. She moaned and breathed into Ben’s hair and her fingers clenched skin and sheets. 

Being this close for so long was almost torturous. A delicious, overwhelming, searing torture.

Leslie inhaled and her fingers pushed into Ben’s hair, gripping. He pulled from her neck and kissed her cheek before sitting up. Leslie kept reaching for him, her stomach knotting, her legs warm, her back stretching. 

“Ann.” 

Hearing Ben say Ann’s name was startling, but Ann’s tongue smoothed over her entire opening and Leslie moaned, pushed back into the pillows. Ann slowed and her pressure lightened but she kept moving, kept Leslie high.

“Suck her clit. She likes that.”

Leslie’s eyes shot open, the ceiling blank and white above her. She tried to sit up but as if Ben needed his own outlet for his advice, he clamped his lips over her breast, and sucked, twirling his tongue over her nipple with a sloppy finesse that made her whole body fall.

Ann smoothed her tongue over Leslie’s opening again before doing just as Ben instructed. Her lips seemed so much bigger against her and her tongue flicked as her lips sucked. The pressure varied, from perfect to fucking amazing. Ben steadied her body with his hand on her stomach and Leslie stilled, her muscles tensing as she climbed. Her thighs shook, trying to keep from smashing against Ann’s head and she just dug her nails into the bedsheets and warned them she was close. They both moaned into her skin and their breaths seeped into her muscles and pulsed through her veins. She screamed, mumbled names, and moaned and then everything turned white behind her eyes and her scream scraped her throat.

Ben reached across Leslie’s body and grabbed her hand, prying her fingers from the sheets. Leslie threaded their fingers and tried to catch her breath. Ann kissed Leslie’s thighs, wiping her mouth between kisses, making Leslie’s skin slick. Ben kissed Leslie quick on the mouth, a smooth, light kiss that made Leslie sigh against his lips. 

He moved from her and their hands fell a part as he stepped off the bed. Leslie watched him walk down to the foot of the bed, his cute butt making her grin. Ann climbed up Leslie’s side, where Ben once was, and she waited above her. Ann’s mouth was still wet and her lips were a deep red and engorged gorgeously. Her cheeks were pink and she looked like she was waiting for Leslie to say something, to do something, to make this all okay.

Leslie felt the weight in the bed shift on her other side but she reached for Ann and turned into her. Leslie kissed her, Ann’s body falling onto the bed on her side. Leslie could taste herself on Ann’s tongue and it made her groan and only open her mouth wider. 

Behind her, Ben smoothed his hands over Leslie’s back, kneading his thumbs into her flesh until her whole body relaxed and she couldn’t stop humming into Ann’s mouth. Leslie always wished she could get back rubs from Ben and kiss him at the same time and this was almost it, this was practically it, this was better than she ever imagined.

His hands moved over her shoulders and snuck to her collarbone and to her back again. He moved closer, until he was pushing against her from feet to lips. He was hard on her ass and his hips would rock every few breaths. Ben’s hand slid down Leslie’s thigh, snuck between and under Ann’s leg, and gripped Leslie’s flesh, pulling her leg over his hip in a clumsy move that made them all laugh. Ann against Leslie’s mouth, Leslie along Ann’s tongue, and Ben against Leslie’s earlobe. 

Ben moved down her body and curled under her, his dick against her. She pushed her ass back and Ann instinctively moved her hips away but Leslie missed her warmth. Leslie put her hand on Ann’s shoulder and pushed her on her back, sliding her own hands over Ann’s body. Ann looked so beautiful, her hair mussed and lips engorged and pink as she breathed. Her eyes kept fluttering closed but for the most part she kept them open lazily, watching Leslie’s face or Leslie’s hands. 

Leslie played with the soft flesh of Ann’s breasts, the warmth of her stomach, the hard bones of her ribs and collarbone. She guessed she understood Ben’s obsession, it did feel smooth under her fingertips and Ann kept inhaling with every brush. Leslie slipped her hand around Ann’s lower stomach, teasing her but also trying to suppress her own nerves. Ann just went down on her, she could finger Ann. She could finger Ann, she could. This wasn’t that different from masturbating, right?

Ben thrust behind her and angled his hips just right and Leslie gasped as he pushed inside. Her fingers curled on Ann’s skin and Ben groaned behind her. He adjusted again, put his hand on Leslie’s hip and pulled out of her slowly and thrust into her again, harder, deeper.

Leslie let her head fall on Ann’s chest.

“Touch me,” Ann whispered against Leslie’s hair.

Leslie’s eyes widened but her breath shook as she pushed her hand down Ann’s body and lined her opening, already wet and wanting.

Ben’s hips sped up with Ann’s breath. Leslie explored Ann, feeling how she was different, how she was similar to Leslie’s own body. She circled Ann’s clit (Ann sighed) and lined her opening (Ann mumbled Leslie’s name). Leslie watched Ann’s chest rise and fall, thought about kissing her breasts or licking her nipples, but while Ben fucked her from behind it was nearly impossible. Leslie was a great multi-tasker in any other facet of her life, but sex? No. Keeping her fingers steady and rhythmic on Ann was already hard while Ben filled her, pushed into her over and over with a hot, deep rhythm. 

It was hard to imagine how everything felt to Ann, it was the same as being with a man, but more familiar. Leslie could only rely on cues from men but with Ann she could try things Leslie liked but she had no idea what the pressure felt like or if Ann liked circles on her clit or slow tracing instead. She tried bits of everything, watching Ann’s chest rise and fall, watching her eyebrows furrow or her lips part in moans. Sometimes, Ben would be hitting Leslie in a perfect spot that would make Leslie’s fingers stop completely and she just hoped Ann understood.

Ben groaned, a shaky breath pushing against Leslie’s hair. His hand lined her torso, and connected with her arm, and slid down to her fingers. He pushed on Leslie’s fingers, and Ann gasped. Ben quickened her circles, but also kept them not as rhythmic, not as perfect as Leslie was trying to keep in her pace. Leslie looked at their hands joined over Ann and then to Ann’s face. Ann bit her lip, gasped, moaned, whispered Leslie’s name, each new push or turn causing her eyes to pop open or squeeze shut. 

He pushed their fingers down, teasing Ann’s opening before they pushed inside her together. Ann gripped the sheets with one hand and Leslie’s hair with the other, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Leslie had to kiss her, she had to kiss her right now. She pulled her hand from Ben, from Ann, and grabbed the back of Ann’s head and captured her open mouth. Ben still worked, his hips going faster, his fingers still pushing inside Ann, making Ann’s body shake and her moans vibrate against Leslie’s tongue. 

Leslie didn’t even think twice about Ben’s fingers. Her need to kiss Ann outweighed everything. She was just so thankful for her, for Ben, for everything this night meant. These two people, the two people she loved the most in this world, were practically fawning over her. Even when it was Leslie’s turn to please Ann, Ben helped her, guided her along so this could be easy, and if Leslie needed to kiss Ann, she could, because Ben was there to take over. An infinite circle of support and love that Leslie could hardly keep up with, but if she fell behind they were there. 

They were always there.

“Leslie,” Ann breathed against Leslie’s lips.

God, Leslie wasn’t even doing anything to Ann and she was panting her name like a desperate cry of inspiration. Leslie pulled from her, resting her head in the crook of Ann’s neck and pushed her hand down her body, swatting Ben’s hand away. He laughed, deep in his chest and pulled. His fingers were slick and long and she just wanted them on her right now.

Before she could ask, his hand was back on her hip and his own thrusts pushed deeper and faster. He was watching Leslie, she knew it, by the inhales when Leslie pushed into Ann and the shaky hums when Leslie circled Ann’s clit. She tried to remember Ben’s movements that lacked finesse and made Ann squirm and cry. She pushed into Ann and curled her fingers and Leslie moaned at the squeeze, at the contraction of muscles and the grip in her hair.

Ben thrust, over and over, his hips becoming erratic. He kept whispering Leslie’s name in her ear and each shaky breath of her name was met with a groan from her. His hand slid from her hip, to her clit and he circled, those crazy unceremonious circles he taught her. She got it, she understood now that she was paying attention. He hit perfect spots between swipes and she never knew where he was going to hit on the next rotation. It was enough to make her build, to keep her senses heightened and alive.

Ann pulled on Leslie’s hair and she yelled her name, much louder than she had been this whole time and it startled Leslie. Startled her in a way that made Leslie’s fingers quicken and she started to kiss any inch of skin she could find. Ann’s breaths become shorter and her back arched and the small light from the lamp in the corner was bouncing off of Ann’s breasts like the light understood how to contour to her body.

Leslie moaned and inhaled, letting Ann’s name filter through her lips on the shaky exhale. That must have been enough, because Ann’s whole body stiffened and her breath held and Leslie pushed her fingers into her as she came. 

Ann screamed, deep in her throat and behind closed lips. Leslie pushed up again and met her lips and Ann’s frenzied groans were swallowed. Leslie rubbed circles into Ann’s stomach and they kissed slow as Ann came down, as her breathing evened and her body stopped shaking.

Ben rubbed Leslie’s side, kneading into her hip and waist as his hand passed. He also stilled his hips, letting the women embrace and breathe. He pushed and pulled in careful, hauntingly sexy thrusts that made Leslie’s back arch. Ann turned to Leslie, pressing their bodies together. She reached between them and pushed on Leslie’s clit and the groan made Ben speed up again.

Ann’s fingers were clumsy and Leslie could sense her fatigue in the shake of her hand but Leslie welcomed her touch. It made her climb again, easy and steady. Leslie and Ann exchanged lazy kisses, Leslie led while Ann followed, the swipes of her tongue nice and warm. Ann heated Leslie from her mouth to her chest and Ben was sparking electricity from below. 

“Oh my God,” Leslie gasped.

This made Ann speed up, her fingers wild and her tongue quick. Ben gripped Leslie’s waist and pounded into her, everyone’s bodies rocking together. Leslie loved the feeling of Ann’s breasts knocking her own, the slap of Ben’s skin on her ass, the push of Ann’s tongue, the faint whisper of Ben’s lips on her neck. 

Ben pushed his arm between the women and gripped Leslie’s waist, his whole body tensing as he yelled. Leslie opened her eyes wide, surprised. He shook behind her, small rolls of his hips helping aid his come down. 

“Shit,” he whispered, his hips still moving in small waves, each push making his body tremble. “Shit, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Leslie opened her mouth to respond, to tell him of course it was fine, that everything about this was very fine. But before she could, Ann pulled from Leslie’s mouth and bent down. Ann slid her tongue over Leslie’s breast, circled her nipple and the pressure of her fingers heightened and she moved quicker. Ben whispered Leslie’s name, trailing his fingers over her collarbone, brushing Ann’s hair with his knuckles. Leslie kept her eyes open, fought her instinct to keep them closed. Ann’s tongue, Ben’s hand, their connected bodies. She inhaled all of it until Ben bit her neck, and Ann’s eyes flicked to her own and everything was perfect.

She screamed. Her body was rigid and it felt like hours before she finally relaxed, small whimpers escaping her lips. Ann and Ben pushed into her from either side, taking care of her trembling body.

Ben rubbed her side and Ann snuggled into Leslie’s neck. Ben’s arm was smashed between the women’s stomaches, his fingers idly pressing on Leslie’s flesh. Ann’s arm was resting on Leslie’s hip and Ben’s mouth kept puckering on the back of her head, his nose digging into her locks.

They breathed.

Leslie’s eyelids were so heavy and her breathing was easily finding a deep rhythm. Alcohol was definitely wearing off and replacing it was just a need for sleep. Ben sounded like he was softly snoring already behind her, his fingers stopped moving minutes ago. Ann seemed the most awake, her thumb rubbing Leslie’s skin and her breathing still a little heightened. Leslie pushed her leg between Ann’s and snuggled deeper into her, their breasts pressed together, every part of them touching except where Ben’s arm was trapped. 

“I liked this,” Leslie said.

Ann smiled and pushed up to kiss her. Leslie hardly responded, her sleep taking over.

“Me too,” Ann said.

Ben nodded his agreement, startling Leslie.

“I thought you were asleep.”

He just shook his head, tightening his grip around her. 

Leslie’s mind should be reeling, she should be trying to put everything into a category or list and try to find a solution to this. But her limbs were weak and she felt so warm and loved and enveloped. Sleep was coming, it was at the steady beat of Ben’s heart and the small wisps of Ann’s hair that tickled Leslie’s cheeks. It was a Friday, it was very late, alcohol was going to make her head pound in the morning, why couldn’t she just stay here forever?

Ann stirred and pulled from Leslie before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

“No--”

“I have to use the restroom, I’ll be back.”

Ann would be back, but everything was broken now. The spell was gone. She’d be back but not in the same way.

The bathroom door closed and Ben tightened his arms around Leslie. He kissed her neck, her shoulders, her ears.

“I love you,” he whispered, “I love you.”

He kept saying it, between kisses and breaths. His stomach would clench, his hips would move just to feel friction and warmth. 

Leslie turned and they embraced, just skin and sighs.

The bathroom door opened, the noise separating them. Leslie rolled on her back and noticed it started. Ann had her shirt back on with her underwear and was looking for her pants. Leslie couldn’t catch her eye so she looked back at Ben, who just smiled at her with a sad but supportive grin.

Leslie and Ben took turns in the bathroom and getting dressed. Leslie could already feel the headache coming so she grabbed some aspirin and offered it to everyone. They downed the drug together and then everything fell silent, awkward, everything Leslie didn’t want.

“I think I’ll call a cab,” Ann said, her quiet voice filling the silence.

“Oh, no, you can just stay--”

“Don’t do that, you--”

“I think I should go.” Ann put up her hand.

Leslie looked at Ben, her eyes pleading. He cleared his throat.

“We haven’t had our ten minutes,” he said, the unease biting at each word.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ann’s voice trailed off.

“It was in the rules.” Leslie tried to smile, tried to pull one from Ann.

The rules felt like lightyears ago.

“I’ll make waffles,” Ben offered.

Ben, perfect, perfect, tiny torsoed man. Leslie loved him so much.

They descended the stairs together and Ben went to work right away. He stirred the instant waffle mix and boiled water in the kettle for coffee. He plugged in the waffle maker and waited for the beep as he took down the french press from the cupboards. He had things at her house now. There was no exchange of ‘is this okay?’, things just started appearing and she would smile at them as she walked through the kitchen, at his toothbrush on her sink, at his left cardigan in her bedroom.

Leslie tried to catch Ann’s gaze but she was still somewhere distant. Ann looked at her phone and her hands and anywhere but at Leslie or Ben. Leslie hoped she didn't regret this. Leslie didn’t, Leslie didn’t at all.

The kettle whistled and Ben poured the water over the grinds, stirring them before going back to the waffles He had a stack of three already. So quick, like a little hummingbird.

He put a plate in front of Ann first and then Leslie. Leslie got up to get whipped cream but he put a hand out.

“I got it,” he said, opening the fridge. “Ann, do you want syrup or anything?”

“Syrup, please.” Ben put the bottle down in front of her. “Thank you.”

Ben put his hand on Ann’s shoulder and poured their coffee. Leslie doused the whipped cream on her waffle and when Ben put her mug on the table she put a good amount in there as well. 

Ann smiled and shook her head. Leslie’s heart lifted.

“You put an obscene amount of sugar in your body.” 

Ann’s eyes bounced from the waffle, to Leslie’s mug of coffee, and stayed on her eyes.

“I know, right?” Ben said, his own mug in his hand as he sat down. “But she gets all happy and bouncy.”

“And she talks fast,” Ann added.

“Yeah.” Ben laughed. “And, to her credit, with a chocolate bar, she does come up with her best ideas.”

Leslie felt her cheeks burn as they laughed, Ann finally taking a bite of her waffle. Ben reached over and kissed Leslie’s head.

Everyone drank coffee and ate waffles, the room filling with the sounds of silverware and swallows. Leslie wanted to talk, she desperately needed to. She could usually hold seminars on feelings for hours, but this was harder. Scarier.

She cleared her throat. 

“I just want to say, that was awesome.” Nailed it.

Ben put down his fork and chewed as he watched her. Leslie tried to keep her chin high, even as everyone else was silent. Ben wiped his mouth with his thumb.

“It was.” He nodded.

Now they both waited for Ann. Leslie didn’t want to pressure her but she desperately needed to know what Ann was thinking, why she was being so quiet, why her waffle was only half finished. 

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and then dropped her fork. “But this is weird, right?”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Leslie protested.

“No, I know, but, it is.” Ann rubbed her temples. “I just, ah, this isn’t coming out right.”

“Take your time,” Ben said. 

He reached under the table and took Leslie’s hand. She squeezed, thankful for the comfort because she was starting to panic.

Leslie just wanted to kiss her, take her face in her hands and kiss her. But the ten minutes were almost up and rule six said everything went back to normal after they talk about feelings. Leslie wanted things to go back to how they were, yes, but she also wanted her best friend to look her in the eye and be okay with what just happened.

“This isn’t a normal thing. People don’t go and do this,” Ann explained.

“You’re right, but we decided to do this for Leslie.” Ben let go of Leslie’s hand and gestured to her instead. “This is just about Leslie.”

“I can’t ignore that you touched me too.”

Ben shut his mouth and Leslie could see his ears start to turn pink.

“He did it to help me,” Leslie said. “I am not mad about it, really.”

“You’ll think about it.”

“No, I wont.” Leslie scooted her chair closer to Ann. “Did you like it?”

Ann nodded. 

“Then that’s it. Rule six says everything goes back to normal and it will.” Leslie sat up in her chair, tall and certain. 

It was going to be hard not to just kiss Ann when the bar lit her so perfectly and alcohol was pumping through Leslie’s veins. It was going to be impossible to forget that this happened. But everything would go back to normal, everything must.

Leslie stood up and put out her arms, wide and inviting. She pushed out her lower lip and popped her hip. Ann studied her, actually raked her eyes over here with a blank stare for what felt like hours. But then she stood and wrapped her arms around Leslie’s middle.

They hugged forever. It felt good to be in Ann’s arms, to feel her breaths again. Leslie buried her face in Ann’s shoulder and Ann into Leslie’s hair. Everything was okay. They were okay.

“Come here.” Ann took her hand off of Leslie’s back and waved Ben over. 

The chair’s legs scraped on the floor. Leslie turned so she could have one arm around him and another around Ann. They breathed together, sometimes laughed, sometimes just sighed. Ann still shook her head and said things like ‘this is really weird’ but Leslie was starting to understand her. This was weird, this was not normal, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t okay. It was definitely okay to spread yourself a little thinner for those you loved and all three of them did that tonight.

Leslie kissed Ben, a whispered I love you on his lips. Then she turned and kissed Ann, because those rules were made when they were drunk and she wanted to, this was her last chance. Ben kissed Leslie’s hair and she felt so pure and connected. Perfect.

They separated and Ben even leaned over to Ann and kissed her on the cheek, squeezing her shoulder in some kind of gesture of reassurance. 

“I think,” Ann said, “that I really do want to call a cab.”

Ben nodded and Leslie frowned but eventually nodded, too. 

He cleaned up the waffles and coffee and Leslie waited with Ann by the front door. The sounds of dishes and water were welcome fillers as they watched headlights roll down the street, waiting. Leslie put her arm around Ann’s waist and leaned into her shoulder and after a few breaths Ann held her, too. 

The cab pulled up and Leslie turned and hugged Ann.

“Best friends of ever,” she whispered.

Ann nodded against Leslie’s head. She pulled from her, looked to her feet with a small smile, and walked through the doorway.

“Let’s go to bed,” Ben said, locking the door.

He grabbed her hand. Leslie watched the cab pull away and then let Ben take her.

Leslie played with the sparse hairs on his chest as his whole body rose and fell with his exhausted breaths. Leslie was tired, too, but she couldn’t stop touching him. She raked her fingers over him like he was going to disappear if she didn’t. Over his chest, the curve of his ribs, the slant of his collarbone, the point of his hipbones, the strong angle of his jaw, the curve of his Adam’s apple. She pushed her body into his side, wrapped her leg around his middle and then eventually just plopped herself on top of him, flattening herself from foot to head, as if she could get closer. 

But it was never close enough.

“Thank you.” Leslie sighed and she felt Ben’s muscles soften.

“I love you,” Ben hummed.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you.” His hands pushed over her ass, up to the back of her neck and down again.

“I love you.” She kissed his chest and his jaw. 

“I love you.” He wrapped his fingers around her thighs and pulled them so they nestled on either side of his waist.

“I love you.” She felt him, hard, at her opening but he only rolled his hips, her tongue slipping between her lips as she kissed his mouth.

They continued, ‘I love you’s spilling and breaths twisting together until he pushed and she sighed and everything was the same again.

Not entirely the same, but just as perfect.


End file.
